The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, one of Britain’s longest-established musical -institutions, is coming to the UAE for the first time next week. The CBSO will deliver two performances in the capital and Al Ain as part of the Abu Dhabi Classics international concert series.
For their December 15 debut, which marks Abu Dhabi’s hosting of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet, the ensemble will play on a floating stage off the Corniche Breakwater with the Canadian violin soloist James Ehnes, who is among the best violinists of his generation.
In an exclusive interview with The National, Ehnes talks about making his UAE debut, and playing Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations and Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No 1, one of the most complex pieces of music ever written for the violin.
How are you feeling about your UAE debut?
This trip came as something of a nice surprise and the orchestra reached out to me a couple of months ago about availability for the concerts in the UAE. I jumped at the chance, as it’s a place I’ve wanted to visit for a while. In recent years, throughout the Middle East there has been an increased focus on western classical music, which I think is wonderful, as I believe the music is of great cultural significance and value to society.
You’ll be performing one of the most challenging violin concertos by the German composer Max Bruch. How do you expect it will be received?
Violin Concert No 1 has been one of the most enduringly popular violin concertos since it was written in the 1860s. It's something of a classical cornerstone so I think there's no better piece to give people an introduction to the world of the violin concertos. It's quite virtuosic, of course complex, and a lot of fun to play. You can revel in it. I grew up obsessing over the piece and I hope I can play it as well as I did last year [laughs].
You’ll be playing a priceless, 300-year old Marsick Stradivarius violin in Abu Dhabi. Is it likely to be affected by the heat, humidity and desert environment?
Well, yes, environment and climate – to a certain extent – can affect the way an instrument responds. But as a player you can adapt. The violin may feel somewhat different to play but hopefully it won’t sound any different. Antonio Stradivari was the great genius violinmaker and, despite its age, my violin remains an incredible instrument with an incredible range. It’s a joy to play on it musically and an honour for historical reasons. Performing outside sometimes has its challenges but personally I feel it adds to a fun atmosphere. I love playing surrounded by nature and outdoors and always take pleasure from it and, as a musician, if you don’t enjoy it, no one else will.
Do you foresee the CBSO’s Abu Dhabi tour becoming a regular calendar fixture?
I certainly hope so. I would love to think that the concerts will play some small part in continuing to develop the role of classical music in the region. I also feel a bit of a personal responsibility to people coming to the event, for whom the music may be new. I hope they will have an appetite for more of it.
• Tickets for the concert are available from www.ticketmaster.ae and start from Dh200 for adults and Dh30 for children. The CBSO tour is being held in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority and is part of the Abu Dhabi Classics season, which runs until May
rduane@thenational.ae
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
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Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
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Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Company%20profile
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
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• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
